Woman Convicted of Murdering Local Minister Is Resentenced

A woman originally sentenced to death for the 2003 murder of a local minister and attempted murder of his widow has been re-sentenced.

According to the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office, 37-year-old Brandy Ailene Holmes appeared briefly today before Caddo District Judge Kathering Dorroh, and was sentenced to life in prison. Conflicting expert witness testimony that let to the re-sentencing of Holmes' former boyfriend and co-defendant, Robert Coleman, also warranted today's court action.

Holmes was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 2005 for the slaying of 70-year-old Blanchard minister Julian Brandon. His wife, Alice, was permanently disabled during the attack at the couple's home. She later died.

Coleman was also sentenced to life in prison in May after two death sentences were overturned. However, the DA's Office says the original convictions and sentences were reversed in 2007 by the Louisiana Supreme Court based on a jury selection error.

Holmes is incarcerated at the state women's prison at St. Gabriel.